UTSA women prepare for rematch against Temple’s dynamic duo

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners women survived one meeting against Kaylah Turner and Tristen Taylor this season. They’ll need to buckle up for another challenge tonight.

The Roadrunners will host two of the most dynamic guards in the American Conference when they play the Temple Owls at 6:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.

Temple women's basketball coach Diane Richardson. Temple defeated UTSA 56-48 in American Athletic Conference women's basketball on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Diane Richardson has led the Temple women to back-to-back, 20-win seasons. The Owls (10-12, 4-6) are in town for a Tuesday night matchup against the UTSA Roadrunners (11-11, 6-5). – Photo by Joe Alexander

Turner is the leading scorer in the conference. The 5-6 junior from Jacksonville, Fla., averages 17.4 points.

Twice, she has scored in the 30s this season and six more times in the 20s for the Owls (10-12, 4-6), who are one of the most respected ball clubs in the bottom tier of the American’s standings.

In a Jan. 3 meeting against UTSA at Philadelphia, the Roadrunners did a good job defensively, holding Turner to one of her worst showings this season, three of 18 shooting from the field and seven points.

As a result, the Owls let a home game get away, losing 50-47 to the Roadrunners. It was a different narrative altogether in regard to Taylor, a 5-5 junior from Duncanville High School in the Dallas area.

She produced 18 points, three assists and a pair of steals. At the end, she just missed on a three-point shot that would have sent the game into overtime.

Given the background on the first meeting of the season with the Owls, and considering that Taylor has gone on to average 11.2 points and 4.3 assists, the Roadrunners (11-11, 6-5) are approaching Tuesday night’s rematch with eyes wide open.

UTSA coach Karen Aston knows from experience that even if a team holds one of those two down, the other is capable of willing Temple to victory.

“With Tristen, it was her first game back after an injury when we played up there,” Aston said Monday. “I’m not sure we had a handle on her game. I would expect that we’d be a little more prepared for her (Tuesday).

“Everyone in the league is prepared for Turner, and she’s still the leading scorer in the conference. So that tells you of her talent right there. She can be on everybody’s top of the scout, and she still gets the job done. Just two dynamic guards.”

The Owls could use the same adjective about UTSA forward Cheyenne Rowe. In the teams’ first meeting, Rowe exploded for 14 points and 18 rebounds. The 6-2 senior from Canada has been UTSA’s best player this season, averaging 13.5 and 8.8.

In the rematch, Temple will be tasked with another frontcourt challenge in dealing with forward Idara Udo.

Udo sat out the game in Philadelphia with a lower leg injury. But after missing six weeks of action, she has returned, playing the last four games for the Roadrunners.

Udo, a preseason second team, all-conference selection, scored a season-high 18 points Saturday in a 66-47 road victory at Tulsa. Aston is happy to have the 6-1 junior from Plano back on the floor and gaining confidence.

“Obviously it was a long time off for her,” the coach said. “You don’t expect someone to roll in after time off and be sharp (immediately) and be in game shape and all of that. So I think it’s a process for her. I’m proud of her patience with this. It kind of forced her to step back and mature a little bit.

“She had a lot of her own personal expectations, and it’s actually given her time to give herself some grace. She looked a little sharper on Saturday, and I think every game we play, she’ll get a little sharper and a little bit better game shape. Get her timing back.

“Again, it just takes time when someone’s missed as many games as she has.”

Records

Temple 10-12, 4-5
UTSA 11-11, 6-5

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

A new baseball season dawns for the ascendant UTSA Roadrunners

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Coming off a school-record 47 wins and a magical run to the NCAA Super Regional round of the playoffs, UTSA baseball is scheduled to open the new season with three home games from Friday through Sunday against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

UTSA coach Pat Hallmark. UTSA beat Texas 7-4 on Sunday, June 1, 2025, to win the NCAA baseball tournament Austin Regional. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Coach Pat Hallmark is 187-111 in six years at UTSA. Last summer, he signed a contract extension that carries through the 2029 season. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Asked how this year’s team could be different from last year, Coach Pat Hallmark said Monday that he hopes that the Roadrunners are better, but he acknowledged he doesn’t know if that is the case.

Not just yet.

Last year’s team soared to the American Conference regular-season title and to an epic NCAA Austin Regional playoff victory, which included two wins in two days over the second-ranked Texas Longhorns.

Players such as outfielders Mason Lytle and James Taussig and pitchers Zach Royse and Braylon Owens led that charge. This season, those players have moved on, chasing baseball dreams in the professional ranks.

At the same time, others are stepping into their shoes at UTSA, hoping to make names for themselves and create their own legacy.

“We’re not quite as athletic (as last year),” Hallmark said. “That’s the only … difference I can tell at this point.”

Hallmark offered a caveat, noting that some of the best baseball players aren’t always the best athletes.

“I do think we’re a good baseball team,” he said. “We got to grow, though. The most important thing right now is just that we continue to improve. That’s what I mean by grow.

“We got to have growth in lots of areas. So, we got some questions. Some of the pitching you’ll see early on will be some familiar faces. But they’re going to be in bigger roles … We’ll see how they do.”

Junior righthander Rob Orloski will start on the mound Friday afternoon, Hallmark said. Connor Kelley will start on Saturday and Kendall Dove will get the ball on Sunday.

Orloski emerged as a program mainstay and a first-team, all conference pitcher last season in the team’s “stopper” role. Coming out of the bullpen, he finished with an 8-0 record, a team-leading nine saves and a 3.36 earned run average.

The coach said his starting pitchers this weekend would be on a pitch count that he characterized as “more high than low, because they are ready for that.”

He said the team’s “stopper” role, which has been filled in the past with former standouts Simon Miller and Ruger Riojas and, last season, with Orloski, hasn’t been determined yet.

At least, not on a long-term basis. Hallmark said the role is “a little bit up in the air,” with coaches set to evaluate over several games who it might be.

“We really only have four set roles,” the coach said, “which would be three starters and this ‘stopper’ role, and everyone else pretty flexible. So, yeah, it could change on weekend (No.) 2, but that’s where we are right now.”

Coming up

South Dakota State at UTSA
Friday – 4 p.m.
Saturday – noon
Sunday – 1 p.m.

Notable

The coach said veteran standout catcher Andrew Stucky “looks great,” with Broc Parmer, Whitt Joyce and Jacob Silva backing up.

With a solid freshman season under his belt, sophomore Caden Miller is playing first base. Another sophomore standout, Nathan Hodge is injured, and that has opened up playing time for others in the infield.

At second base, shortstop and third base, Hallmark mentioned veterans Jordan Ballin and Diego Diaz, plus freshman Aidan Eshelman and sophomore transfer Josh Arquette, as players who could play at any of those three spots.

Also, Josh Vaughn and Mason Jacob, the coach said.

“Second base, third base, shortstop, early in the year, you’ll see guys switching in and out of there,” Hallmark said. “Very versatile group, and we train ’em that way. All those guys I mentioned can play all three.”

In the outfield, Drew Detlefsen, who led the team in home runs last year, supplies the veteran leadership. He played mostly in left field last season but might play some in center this year, as well.

Others to watch in the outfield include freshman power hitter Nathan Johnson from Katy Seven Lakes, junior Lane Haworth, a transfer from Wichita State and University of Houston transfer Brandon Bishop.

Echoes from 2025

Hallmark said the energy around the program “has been great” and that “there’s been a lot of buzz. I think they sold out the chair-back seats (at Roadrunner Field), or real, real close.” The team’s annual golf tournament also did well.

Quotable

“People definitely took notice of what we did last year,” the coach said. “We need to really put that stuff to the side, for players and coaches, and really focus on what we can control.

“And that’s not as easily done as it is said, focusing on what you can control, like throwing strikes and hitting the ball and making the plays. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. It still gets down to what you do on the field.

“We’re trying to keep our minds on that and become better baseball players through some of the hoopla from last year.”

North Texas rolls 81-58, extending UTSA’s losing streak to 16 games

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North Cole Franklin. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Cole Franklin (at right) scored 21 points on nine of 14 shooting Saturday to help the North Texas Mean Green snap a four-game losing streak. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The North Texas Mean Green entered the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon hoping to start digging themselves out of an 11th-place hole in the American Conference men’s basketball standings.

Buried even deeper, the UTSA Roadrunners just wanted to win a game, period.

North Texas succeeded in its mission, ripping off a 25-0 run that stretched from late in the first half to early in the second, on its way to an 81-58 victory.

As a result, the Mean Green extended the 13th (and last)-place Roadrunners’ program-record losing streak to 16 games.

Jamir Simpson. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners guard Jamir Simpson scored 17 points on seven of 16 shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Winning is hard,” first-year North Texas coach Daniyal Robinson said. “Any time you get an opportunity to get a win, you got to celebrate it. I’m really proud of our guys on how they bounced back from the heartbreaking, double-overtime loss at Rice.”

Rice defeated North Texas 86-83 in double overtime Wednesday night in Houston. After a slow start against UTSA, one of the lowest-rated teams in the nation, the Mean Green turned it on in the last 25 minutes.

“This means a lot,” said Robinson, who spent the last three seasons as head coach at Cleveland State. “It gives our guys a confidence boost going into next week.”

The North Texas backcourt duo of Cole Franklin and Je’Shawn Stevenson enjoyed big games in helping North Texas (13-11, 4-7) snap a four-game losing streak.

Playing with energy against the struggling Roadrunners (4-19, 0-11), Franklin produced 21 points and seven rebounds.

He hit nine of 14 shots from the field, including multiple layups off UTSA turnovers.

Stevenson, who burned UTSA for 27 points in an 81-62 victory last month in Denton, scored only 10 but may have been just as much of a nuisance to the home team.

Not only did he disrupt UTSA’s offense with six steals, but he also passed for six assists and pulled down six rebounds.

Jamir Simpson scored 17 points to lead the Roadrunners, and Baboucarr Njie added 11.

Austin Claunch. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch exhorts his team from the sideline against North Texas. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Austin Nunez was helped off the floor with 4:40 remaining in the game after he fell on a dunk attempt and hurt his knee. The preliminary prognosis is that Nunez escaped any structural damage.

In analyzing the game, Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch lamented what he called a “terrible” last two minutes of the first half and a “horrendous” effort in the second half.

“Embarrassing, the most embarrassed I’ve ever been,” Claunch said. “That’s unacceptable on my end. We got to be better Wednesday.”

In serious danger of getting left out of the conference tournament, the Roadrunners sit in last place in the American going into a Wednesday road game at East Carolina.

They trail the 10th-place Rice Owls now by five games in the loss column with seven remaining.

Only 10 teams in the American qualify for the tournament based on a new format installed before the season.

If there was a bright spot to emerge in the postgame analysis, it was that Nunez apparently escaped serious injury.

“It seems structurally, he’s OK, which is the most important thing,” Claunch said. “I think he got the wind knocked out of him, as well. With the knee injuries he’s had, it scared him a little bit more than anything. It looks like he’s going to be OK.

“Structurally, nothing serious, but we’ll double check on that tomorrow.”

Through the losing streak, Claunch has remained largely upbeat, especially after 10-points-or-less home losses to Temple and UAB on the last homestand.

But on Saturday afternoon, the coach couldn’t hide his disappointment at what happened in the second half, when the Mean Green outscored the Roadrunners 47-32.

“For the first time,” Claunch said, “we looked like a team that’s lost 16 games in a row. That’s what it looked like — for the first time. We played great basketball for three straight games. We played a pretty good first half (today).

“Obviously, I’m going to watch it. It’s not one person. It starts with the head coach (on) down. So, got to go watch it. Obviously we’ve got seven games (with) two on the road (next week).

“Got to watch this. Evaluate it, and see where we go.”

Austin Nunez. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Austin Nunez fell on a dunk attempt with four minutes left in the game, but Austin Claunch said he escaped any structural damage to his knee. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Records

North Texas 13-11, 4-7
UTSA 4-19, 0-11

Coming up

UTSA at East Carolina, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, Feb. 15, 11 a.m.

Notable

Guard Cole Franklin, a junior from DeSoto, produced 11 points in the 25-0 run for North Texas.

The Mean Green scored 11 in a row at the end of the first half and another 14 straight at the start of the second.

Franklin, a Cleveland State transfer, capped the run with a tip-in that expanded the Mean Green’s lead to 48-26 with 17:18 remaining.

North Texas held a glaring statistical advantage in points scored off turnovers. The Mean Green forced 18 turnovers and capitalized to score 34 points. On the flip side, UTSA forced 13 turnovers but scored only seven points off them.

North Texas extended its lead in the all-time series against UTSA to 24-14. The Mean Green improved to 12-8 in San Antonio, including four straight victories.

UTSA’s last win at home against North Texas came on Jan. 9, 2021. In that game, UTSA won 77-69 behind guard Jhivvan Jackson’s 31 points.

Roadrunners freshman guard Dorian Hayes sat out his second consecutive game with an injury. Hayes was listed as questionable on the morning availability report and then came out of the dressing room in warmups.

Forward Baboucarr Njie was also listed as questionable, but he started and played.

First half

Trailing for almost 15 minutes in the half, North Texas stepped it up in the last five minutes with the 11-0 run for a 34-26 lead.

North coach Daniyal Robinson. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas coach Daniyal Robinson said he is proud of his players for bouncing back after a double-overtime loss Wednesday in Houston against Rice. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First, the Mean Green forced an Austin Nunez turnover and advanced the ball the other way for a layup by Franklin.

Next, Je’Shawn Stevenson buried a three off the left wing. After UTSA’s Daniel Akitoby misfired on a couple of free throws, Franklin attacked again on a drive for two points.

He missed an ensuing free throw, but Dylan Arnett finished the play with a tip in. David Terrell Jr. completed the run for the Mean Green, hitting two free throws with 29.4 seconds remaining.

UTSA women bounce back with a 66-47 win at Tulsa

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Forward Idara Udo scored a season-high 18 points Saturday in her fourth game back in the lineup after sitting out six weeks with an injury, helping the UTSA Roadrunners women rebound from a seven-game swoon with a 66-47 road victory at Tulsa.

UTSA had dropped two in a row and five of its last seven games entering play against the Golden Hurricane, one of the contenders in the American Conference.

In response, Udo enjoyed her best offensive game of the year, hitting seven of 11 from the field and four of five at the free throw line. Forward Cheyenne Rowe also contributed, scoring 17 for her 15th game in double figures this season.

After yielding a season high in points Tuesday night in an 81-69 road loss to the UAB Blazers, the Roadrunners played one of their better defensive games of the year, holding the Golden Hurricane to 26 points below their average.

Mady Cartwright, Tulsa’s leading scorer at 15.6 per game, was limited to 11 points on four of 14 shooting. She made only one of eight on her 3-point attempts.

Records

UTSA 11-11, 6-5
Tulsa 16-7, 8-3

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Double dip: UTSA men to host North Texas, while the women will challenge Tulsa on the road

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners men’s and women’s basketball teams will try to snap out of their respective slumps today. Here are the details on a pair of games in the American Conference, with the men hosting the North Texas Mean Green and the women paying a visit to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Men’s game

North Texas (12-11, 3-7)
at
UTSA (4-18, 0-10)

When: Today at 1 p.m.
Where: The UTSA Convocation Center

North Texas

Coach: Daniyal Robinson, in his first season with the Mean Green.
Top players: Guard Je’Shawn Stevenson, forward Dylan Arnett, guard David Terrell Jr.
Recently: Lost four straight and six of the last eight.
Notable: North Texas defeated UTSA 81-62 on Jan. 21 in Denton. Stevenson knocked down seven 3-pointers. The Mean Green’s best win was a 72-67 decision at home over Tulsa in the second game of conference play.

UTSA

Coach: Austin Claunch, in his second season with the Roadrunners.
Top players: Guards Jamir Simpson, Austin Nunez and Brent Moss.
Recently: Lost 15 straight and 16 of the last 17.
Notable: Moss scored a career-high 32 points Wednesday in UTSA’s last outing, a 109-88 setback at South Florida. UTSA’s losing streak is a school record and is tied for second with Air Force for the longest active skid in NCAA Division I.

Women’s game

UTSA (10-11, 5-5)
at
Tulsa (16-6, 8-2)

When: Today at 2 p.m.
Where: The Reynolds Center in Tulsa.

UTSA

Coach: Karen Aston, in her fifth season with the Roadrunners.
Top players: Forward Cheyenne Rowe, guard Ereauna Hardaway, forward Idara Udo.
Recently: Lost two straight and five of the last seven.
Notable: UTSA’s recent slide comes after the defending conference champions started conference play at 3-0. The Roadrunners beat the North Texas Mean Green 66-64 at home on Jan. 28 but have since dropped games to the conference-leading Rice Owls 65-55 (at home) and to the last place UAB Blazers 81-69 (on the road).

Tulsa

Coach: Angie Nelp, in her fifth season with the Golden Hurricane.
Top players: Guard Mady Cartwright, forward Hannah Riddick, guard Jade Clack.
Recently: Won four straight and five of the last six.
Notable: Coach Angie Nelp is working on her fifth straight winning season with the Golden Hurricane. Two years ago, Tulsa tied with North Texas and Temple for the American’s regular-season title. This season, the Golden Hurricane notched a power conference victory over the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

South Florida wins 109-88 as UTSA loses its 15th straight

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Trailing by five points late in the first half and by two at intermission, the South Florida Bulls shot 68 percent the rest of the way and rolled to a 109-88 victory Wednesday night, dealing a 15th straight loss to the UTSA Roadrunners.

Brent Moss. UTSA basketball Rowdy Jam on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Brent Moss, shown here in a file photo from last fall, exploded Wednesday night for a season-high 32 points against South Florida. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Izaiyah Nelson scored 25 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the field, including multiple dunks, to lead the Bulls in front of their home crowd in Tampa, Fla.

South Florida entered tied for third place in the American Conference men’s basketball race, while UTSA came in as the last-place team.

But in a surprise, it didn’t turn into a runaway until deep in the second half, when the Roadrunners, down by double digits, started to gamble on defense.

Regardless, South Florida (15-8, 7-3) kept pace with the leaders in the American and sent last-place UTSA (4-18, 0-10) to its 16th loss in 17 games.

Junior college transfer Brent Moss scored a season-high 32 points to lead the Roadrunners. Moss, who played the last two seasons at Barton Community College in Kansas, finished 10 of 16 from the field. He also hit seven of nine from three.

In the second half, the Bulls did a good job on Moss, keeping him from attempting a shot from the field for 10 minutes. Down the stretch, Moss hit three of seven after South Florida had started to run away with it.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch said in his postgame radio interview with Andy Everett that he knew South Florida would make a run in the second half. But a 12-2 run in the first six minutes seemed to super-charge an already talented team.

From there, the Bulls went from a 69-59 lead to 83-68 in only four minutes. The Roadrunners responded with a push of their own, pulling to within 83-74 with 8:27 remaining on a Daniel Akitoby stick back.

But that was as close as they would get to a Bulls team that would eventually widen the lead to 24 points in the last 20 seconds.

“The way they play, and as well as they move it and shoot it, if you play 30 seconds of bad basketball, it can lead to a 7-0 run,” Claunch said. “They really do a good job. They had 25 assists. They have great shooters.”

Claunch said he still feels good about his team even though it hasn’t won a game since Nov. 25 and several key players are out for the season.

“Let’s go,” Claunch said in the postgame interview. “We got eight more (games left in the regular season). Wins are coming. We feel good about our (preparation) and our work with the guys we have in our locker room.”

Other positives for the Roadrunners included Jamir Simpson, who scored 24 points. As Simpson created his own shots off creative drives to the hoop, he knocked down eight of 15 from the field and finished with his eighth 20-point game of the season.

Akitoby also enjoyed a big night with 14 points and eight rebounds. South Florida defended well against two other UTSA threats, with Austin Nunez scoring seven points to go with six assists. Forward Baboucarr Njie went scoreless with two rebounds in 16 minutes.

Records

UTSA 4-18, 0-10
South Florida 15-8, 7-3

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notable

Later Wednesday night, Trae Broadnax and Nick Anderson scored 22 points each as the Rice Owls held on at home to beat the North Texas Mean Green, 86-83, in double overtime.

Rice improved its record to 4-6 in the conference and to 10-13 overall. North Texas will come into San Antonio for Saturday’s game against UTSA with a record of 3-7 and 12-11.

Despite the program-record losing streak, the Roadrunners traveled to Florida with some momentum.

Last week, playing at home, they led the Temple Owls with four minutes remaining and ended up losing by six. They stayed with the UAB Blazers for 38 minutes before losing by 10.

UTSA’s Brent Moss and Jamir Simpson both attended high school in Lima, Ohio. Moss, who played on a national title team at Barton, is a native of the Bahamas.

Freshman guard Dorian Hayes and Baboucarr Njie were both listed as questionable in the pre-game player availability report.

Hayes didn’t play against South Florida, while Njie logged 16 minutes, missed all three of his shots from the field and pulled down only two rebounds.

Njie, another Ohio native, occasionally has emerged as one of the best players on the floor for UTSA.

Twice since Jan. 14 he has scored 20-plus points. The 6-5 forward recorded blocked shots in seven straight games before failing to get one against the Bulls.

First half

Moss erupted for 23 points on five of five shooting from 3-point distance, leading the Roadrunners to a 50-48 lead on the Bulls.

It was a surprising development for South Florida fans in Tampa, as UTSA came into the game on a 14-game losing streak and averaging only 68 points a game.

Tied for third place in the American, the Bulls initially didn’t have a defensive answer for the Roadrunners, who shot 62.1 percent from the field in the half.

Two UTSA players who played their high school ball in Lima, Ohio, sparked the Roadrunners.

Moss knocked down seven of nine from the field and five of five from three.

With three minutes left in the half, he scored his 20th point, which gave him a season-high. He buried his fifth three with 35 seconds left, lifting UTSA into a 50-45 lead.

Simpson, who has led the Roadrunners in scoring all season, brought an aggressive attitude to the floor. Driving and creating space with a large frame, the 6-6 Simpson hit five of nine shots for 14 points.

High-flying Nelson led the Bulls with 15 points. Point guard CJ Brown added 12.

Aiming to stop a 14-game skid, UTSA men play at South Florida

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Update: UTSA guard/forward Baboucarr Njie and guard Dorian Hayes are both questionable to play Wednesday night against South Florida, according to the player availability report.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA Roadrunners men’s basketball will play in Tampa tonight against the high-scoring South Florida Bulls, hoping to put an end to a program-record 14-game losing streak.

The Roadrunners haven’t won a game since Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla, when they defeated Georgia Southern, 77-64. They haven’t won a road game since Nov. 15 when they downed the Denver Pioneers, 84-79.

UTSA has played more competitive basketball recently, losing by six to Temple and by 10 to the UAB Blazers in San Antonio last week.

Over the two games, Jamir Simpson has started to shoot the ball at a higher percentage, making 15 of 29 from the field while averaging 16 points.

Transfer Brent Moss also is getting more playing time, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds against Temple and UAB.

Guard Austin Nunez from San Antonio is averaging 13.4 points and 2.4 assists in conference. The former all-state player at Wagner High School scored in double figures in UTSA’s first eight conference games.

South Florida ranks 10th in the nation and leads the American Conference in scoring offense, averaging 89.5 points. The Bulls are No. 1 in scoring in conference games only at 87.3 points.

Izaiyah Nelson, Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion are the Bulls’ top offensive threats. Nelson averages 15 points and a conference-leading 10 rebounds.

Enis (15 points) and Pinion (14.8) rank as the Bulls top two perimeter scorers. Enis and Pinion have knocked down 146 three pointers between them.

Nelson and Pinion transferred into South Florida from Arkansas State.

Records

UTSA 4-17, 0-9
South Florida 14-8, 6-3

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notable

The Bulls are playing under their fourth head coach in four years in Bryan Hodgson, who worked previously at Arkansas State.

After four straight losing seasons under Brian Gregory, South Florida hired Amir Abdur-Rahim, whose first team went 25-8. Abdur-Rahim died in October of 2024 after suffering complications following a medical procedure.

Last season, the Bulls forged ahead with a staff led by interim coach Ben Fletcher, a member of Abdur-Rahim’s staff. Rocked by their coach’s death, the Bulls finished 13-19, including 6-12 in the American.

Hodgson, hired at South Florida last spring, arrived in Tampa having posted records of 20-17 and 25-11 in the last two seasons at Arkansas State.

Last-place UAB women surge past defending champion UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The last-place UAB Blazers shot 64 percent in a dominant third quarter in Birmingham on Tuesday night and then cruised to an 81-69 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in American Conference women’s basketball.

Leading by five at the half, UAB (9-13, 2-8) went on an 18-4 run in the first five minutes after halftime and outscored UTSA 27-14 in the third behind the scoring of Cali Smallwood and freshman Sofia Munoz.

In the end, the Blazers’ 81 points represented a season high for a UTSA opponent.

With the win, Randy Norton-coached UAB claimed its second victory in a row and its first in the opening game of the second half of the conference slate. Defense-minded UTSA (10-11, 5-5) yielded 56 percent shooting for the game in losing its second straight.

The defending conference champion Roadrunners, who opened conference play at 3-0, have dropped five of their last seven.

The last two Roadrunners’ losses have come in the last four days. UTSA dropped a 65-55 decision to the first-place Rice Owls on Saturday in San Antonio and then had a quick turnaround for the Tuesday night game in Alabama.

UTSA will play next on Saturday in Oklahoma against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, an upper-tier team in the conference. The Golden Hurricane (16-6, 8-2) also played Tuesday night and won on the road at Wichita State, 75-65.

“It’s not going to get any easier,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “I thought that this whole time, that every game was going to be like this, and it’s going to boil down to … ‘How hungry are you?’ and, ‘How bad do you want to win? Does it mean that much to you?’

“I mean, everybody (in the conference) is fighting, just to get in the tournament. You know, maybe we’ve hit a lull. I don’t really know. We looked like maybe we’ve hit a little bit of a wall. We got to figure out how to re-energize ourselves.”

Aston acknowledged that she doesn’t really have an answer on how to get the team to boost its energy level.

“We just don’t look like we have enough gas in our tank right now,” she said.

Forward Molly Moffitt led six UAB players in double figures with 19 points. Smallwood added 15 and Journey Armstead 13. Eleecia Carter scored 12, while Monae’ Duffy and Munoz had 11 apiece.

For UTSA, point guard Ereauna Hardaway produced 17 points and five assists. Forward Cheyenne Rowe added 16, but after halftime, the Roadrunners’ scoring leader was hounded by a collapsing UAB defense and was held to five.

Idara Udo, in her third game back after sitting out six weeks with an injury, scored 12. The Roadrunners shot 41 percent from the field.

Records

UTSA 10-11, 5-5
UAB 9-13, 2-8

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, 2 p.m.

First half

The Blazers shot 48.1 percent from the field and knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a 32-27 lead on the Roadrunners.

It was a disappointing showing for the Roadrunners, who entered the game in sixth place in the American against the Blazers, who were in last (13th).

Molly Moffitt and guard Eleecia Carter both scored nine points to lead the Blazers. Moffitt connected on four of nine from the field and Carter three of five, all from 3-point distance.

UTSA women to face a UAB team ‘feeling good about themselves’

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Fighting through the “dog days” of the American Conference schedule, the UTSA Roadrunners women are looking to find some consistency when they play on the road tonight against the last-place UAB Blazers.

The Roadrunners (10-10, 5-4) tip off against the Blazers (8-13, 1-8) at 6 p.m.

UTSA split two games at home last week, building a double-digit lead against North Texas and then holding on for a 66-64 victory and then playing on even terms for a half against first-place Rice before ultimately falling, 65-55.

“I thought last week was a good week for our team, obviously a good win against North Texas and then kind of equally disappointing against Rice,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “But we’re in the dog days now and we have to turn the page and get to the next game.”

Coach Randy Norton’s Blazers (8-13, 1-8) endured hard times to start their conference schedule with eight straight losses before playing well and winning 83-65 on the road last weekend at Wichita State.

Guard Cali Smallwood scored 25 points in the performance, knocking down seven of 12 shots from 3-point distance.

“Their record is not indicative of how they’ve played,” Aston said. “They had a new team and obviously had to find some chemistry and get used to conference play, so to say. But they had a big win on Saturday, and just to get that one over for them probably gave them a lot of confidence.

“I would think we’ll roll in there with them feeling pretty good about themselves.”

Records

UTSA 10-10, 5-4
UAB 8-13, 1-8

Coming up

UTSA at UAB, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, 2 p.m.

With a road test looming at South Florida, UTSA’s Claunch brushes off questions about his job

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UTSA coach Austin Claunch. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch dismisses the idea that he would like to turn the season around so that he can quiet speculation about his job status. Rather, he says he wants it as a reward for his players, who have worked hard enough to deserve it. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The questions for UTSA men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch keep getting tougher and tougher.

Even though his team played a more competitive brand of ball twice in the past 10 days, the Roadrunners lost twice at home, once by six points to Temple, and then by 10 to UAB, extending a troublesome, program-record losing streak to 14 games.

By the weekend, a story was published in the San Antonio Express-News that suggested his job might not be secure. Claunch, in the second year of a five-year contract, said Monday he wasn’t surprised to be asked about it.

“We’re in a competitive sport,” said the coach, who is 16-36 with the Roadrunners. “We’re at a high level (in the American Conference). Our expectation is to win, especially coming off (our first year). We thought we were really close. Where we were, I think we finished tied for ninth.

“But a lot of those games were in the balance. You felt like you were closer, in the middle of the pack (in the standings). Certainly, we felt like we did things in the offseason that put us in a position to take a step (forward), and so far we haven’t, right.”

After a 12-19 season a year ago, with a 6-12 record in the American, the Roadrunners are currently 4-17 and 0-9, respectively, going into the second half of the conference slate. It’s a nine-game stretch that starts with a road contest against the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday.

“For me, it’s all about figuring out how to improve where you are,” Claunch said. “At the end of the day, when you’ve lost however many we have in a row, and your record is where it is, you deserve to get those questions.

“Trust me, I hope everybody’s frustrated, fans … we want to win. We’re here to win and we’re here to win championships at UTSA. That goal is never going to change. So, that’s certainly still our goal. And, of course, we want that to happen right now.”

Claunch said he doesn’t take being the head coach of the Roadrunners lightly.

“It’s a privilege anywhere you’re a head coach in the country,” he said. “There’s only 365 of these things. So you better have an urgency every time you come in here, to figure out how to take the next step.”

The next step is figuring out how to slow down the high-scoring Bulls, now 14-8 and 6-3, who average a league-best 89 points per game.

Led by first-year coach Bryan Hodgson, the Bulls play a crowd-pleasing style. In conference, they have scored triple figures once, in a 109-106 double-overtime home loss to UAB, and they have twice notched 90 or more in wins at Tulsa and Tulane.

UTSA will travel with the second-longest active losing streak in the nation, but Claunch is a competitor, and he wants more than anything to lead off the second half of the conference slate with a victory.

Asked what it would mean to him, to win at South Florida a few days after he has fielded questions about whether he thinks he’ll be given a chance to return in his job next season, Claunch answered carefully. He said the South Florida game is not about him.

“I don’t think about it in terms of my job security,” Claunch said. “I think about it more for these (players). The way they’ve been working, they certainly deserve to finish the regular season on a high note. The way they’ve worked and continued to fight.

“And so, South Florida, North Texas, East Carolina, Wichita (State), whoever it is, we want to continue to work and win as many games as possible and see where that puts us here in the next nine games. It doesn’t really have anything to do with me.

“We knew that this was a process and we knew that we had an uphill battle. And, certainly, I love to coach. And I’m going to show up and be who I am every single day. Right? And these guys (the players) have done the same thing, which is why we believe their success for this program is right around the corner, in some way, shape or form.

“Whether that’s Wednesday or Saturday, whatever it is, these kids will deserve it, and that’s the biggest thing that I’m focused on and why we continue to work the way we do.”

Records

UTSA 4-17, 0-9
South Florida 14-8, 6-3

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notable

Last summer, after almost all of his roster entered the transfer portal, Claunch and his staff re-stocked the roster with 10 new scholarship athletes. Vasean Allette, the top player recruited out of the portal, has not played and is out for the year for personal reasons.

Three others, Macaleab Rich, Stanley Borden and Pierce Spencer, have all sat out long stretches of the season with injuries. Rich and Spencer are out for the season. With only half the conference slate to be played, Claunch said it’s possible Borden will be redshirted.